5 Things I Learnt About SB20 Keelboat Sailing

Here at Sailing Chandlery we are excited to be the new UK distributor for the SB20 keelboat.

This popular keelboat, previously built by Laser Performance and called the SB3, has been a UK favourite for many years.

At the back end of 2024 Devoti took over as the builder of the SB20 keelboat and the first built boats appeared at the World Championships in Singapore a few months later.

As Devoti's UK dealer we are excited to be able to provide new SB20 boats as well as the extensive range of SB20 parts and accessories to keep SB20 sailors sailing.

As part of learning the boat and building relationships with the fleet I (Andrew, founder of Sailing Chandlery) took a trip down to Hamble to go SB20 racing for the weekend.

I had a fantastic weekend on and off the water and I wanted to share what I learnt about the SB20 and the fleet.

Over the weekend we went out Friday afternoon to do some tuning, and then went racing on Saturday and Sunday sailing against 4 other SB20s.

We sailed in a mix of conditions from super light wind through to a good blow and the boat handles well in all conditions.

The boat was fun to sail and with a crew of 3 (or 4 if you are a lighter team) it is a real team effort with communication being key, especially during the kite drop - there's a lot of material to get into the bag.

Although the boat looks huge and heavy all the systems work smoothly and it was a joy to sail.

Over the weekend I met many of the sailors, they are a friendly bunch and are very willing to help with advice, support and tips.

There was a good social gathering after racing at the club for refreshments and the fleet always tend to head out for dinner together one night of a regatta.

On and off the water there is good discussion about the racing, the boats and how to go faster.

I was surprised how close the racing was over the weekend. One tiny wrong move could lose you a good few places across the fleet of 5 boats.

There were a few close calls at marks, a few turns needed but all in a friendly manner and only one protest flag flown (against us) until we did our turns.

With the fleet being close you've really got to have your teamwork on point and work on your hoists, drops and manoeuvers to ensure you're quick across the race course.

As the wind increases with the huge kite on the front the SB20 can really get shifting through the waves and across the water.

The kite is reasonably easy to handle but can get the boat planing and looking out the back the boat really does go fast adding some serious excitement to your sailing.

Sailing at the Royal Southern Yacht Club for the weekend there were plenty of other boats on show, in the marina and out on the water.

We were racing alongside the J70s and looking across all those other boats the SB20 is great value for money.

There is a good second hand market for the SB20 in the UK and new prices in comparison to other keelboats are very good.

A huge thank you to Charlie and Richard for having me onboard their boat for the weekend. Also to the fleet who have welcomed Sailing Chandlery and assisted us learning about the boat.

If you would like to try an SB20 get in touch with us here at Sailing Chandlery.

There is a class boat that is available to experience sailing the keelboat, and that is also available for charter at events too.